Grain separator



May 4, 1943. H. MJoLsNEss 2,318,249

` f GRAIN SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 12, 1940 z sheets-sheet 1 l IMJnLsNa55,(nE:En5En),BY 3M LEHQMJULSNEES, Hnmms'ma'rm May 4,1943. H.MJLsNEss\ 2,318,249

GRAIN sEPARAToR Filed Aug. 12, 194C 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HmmmMunLsnsss,(nEnBnsnn),Y' LGH Il MJnLsNnss ,QDMMSTRHTRM Patented May 4,1943 GRAIN SEPARATOR Haakon Mjolsness, deceased, late of Minneapolis,Minn., by Olga A. Mjolsness, administratrix, Minneapola Minn., assignorto Haaky Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation ofMinnesota Original application July 17, 1936, Serial No. 91,146. Dividedand this application August 12, 1940, Serial No. 352,244

2 Claims. (C1. 209-12) Ihis invention relates to an improvement in grainseparator wherein it is desired to provide a separating device in whichcertain of the materiads found in grain are separated from the grainsand in which the grain is separated from foreign material.

This application '1s a division of the deceased inventors applicationSerial No. 91,146, led July 17, 1936, for improvement in Grain separatorand aspirator, now Patent 2,211,575 granted August 13, 1940.

It is an object of this invention to provide a grain separating deviceembodying a substantially cylindrical housing having an axis which isusually vertical. A cylindrical screen is rotatable Within thiscylindrical body and this screen separates grain such as wheat, seedsand the like, from longer grain, such as oats. Between the concentriccasing and screen, there is provided a series of inclined means whichbear against the relatively rotatable cylindrical screen and which guidelarger particles of foreign material upwardly to separate theseparticles from the materials such as oats, and the like, which may passby the inclined guide means.

It is a feature of this invention that the inclined screen engagingmeans which may be in the form of inclined or diagonally extending wirebrushes or the like, act to comb from the surface of the screen largerparticles of foreign material incapable of passing through the screenand in the rotation of the screen act to guide these large particles upthe incline which will eventually separate these larger particles fromother material incapable of passing through the screen. Thus theseparator acts as a scalper to scalp straw, sticks and other largermaterial from the larger grain and to separate these materials from thegrain incapable of passing through the cylindrical screen. v

An important feature of the separator resides in the provision of wirebrushes which Contact the screen surface adjustably and which arepositioned diagonally or spirally. These brushes are provided with wirebristles and the brush is so shaped as to provide an arcuated bristleengaging surface against the cylindrical rotatable screen. These brushesact to retard the foreign material and cause the same to ride up overthe brushes or up the incline of the brushes to the top surface of thesame. Material such as sticks, stones, corn and other foreign materialwill ride up the incline of the first brush and drop down upon the econdbrush. The rotation of the screen will eventually carry this material upover the second CII perforated screen surface, these brushes may bereadily adjusted into proper position so as to again contact the surfaceof the perforated screen.

These and other objects and novel features of the invention will be moreclearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specilication:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the separator, illustrating therelationship `of the various parts.

-Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view transversely through the separator,the position of the section being indicated by the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective View in section, illustrating themanner in which the inclined brushes are mounted with respect to thescreen.

The separator A includes a hollow cylindrical casing indicated ingeneral by the numeral I0. 'I'his casing I0 includes a transmissionchamber I I defined by transversely or horizontally extending partitionwalls or oors I2 and I3. The transmission casing I4 rests upon thepartition I3 and is supported by a central supporting plug I5 whichextends below the partition I3 and is secured to the side walls of thecasing I IJ by means of radially extending braces I6. The outer ends ofthe braces I6 are somewhat above the connection with the plug I5 so thatby tightening the braces I6 the plug I5 may be elevated. Thetransmission casing Id includes a removable covering I'I supported tothe casing by means of suitable supporting bolts or other means. Abearing I9 is provided in the casing I4 and a suitable bearing 20 isprovided in the cover I1 to support the stub shaft 2l. A worm wheel orgear 22 is secured to rotate with the shaft 2I and is operated by asuitable worm 23 on thedrive shaft 24. A drive pulley 25 is provided onthe shaft 24 by means of which the shaft 24 and consequently the gears22 and 23 and the stub shaft 2| may be operated.

A spider 25 is rotatably secured to the stub shaft 2I for rotationtherewith and projects be- 1 yond the stub shaft to form a socketlforreceiving the lower end of the concentric vertical shaft 21. Thus thehub 29 of the spider 26 acts to connect or to form a spline connectionbetween the shaft 2| and the shaft 21. Paddle means 30 are provided onthe spider 26 to rotate seeds resting upon the floor or partition I2toward a suitable outlet not illustrated in the drawings. The uppersurface of the spider 26 is provided with bearing surfaces 3| upon whicha floating discshaped screen 32 is designed to rest. The screen 32 isheld from rotation by any suitablemeans, not illustrated in thedrawings, which ordinarily constitute a pin on the peripheral edge ofthe screen which extends through a vertical slot in the casing I0. Abovethe screen 32, the inventor provides a spider 33 which rotates over thesurface of the screen and tends to force any wheat or other grainresting upon the surface of the screen 32 toward a suitable outlet notillustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings.

A cone 34 is mounted on the shaft 21 and is connected with a ring 35 bymeans of spaced connecting ears 36. The ears 36 extend down into thespider 33 and obtain support therefrom, the cone 34, the ring 35,v andthe connecting ears 36 all rotating in unison with the spider 33and theshaft 21. The cylindrical screen 31 is supported. upon the ring 35 andprojects upwardly therefrom. The upper extremity of the screen 31 isreinforced by a suitable reinforcing ring 39.

A ring shaped partition 46 is provided within a bead 4| in the casingIii, this partition encircling the screen 31. A suitable gasket 42 isprovided on the ring 4!! which seals the joint between the ring and thelower portion of the'cylindrical screen 31. This gasket prevents grainand the like from passing between the screen and the ring 40` anddropping into the lower portion of the separator.

An inclined wall 43 is provided on one side of the ring 46 beneath thehopper 44; The hopper 44 extends through the wall of the casing I and isprovided with a gate closure 45 which is vertically reciprocable intracks 46. The gate closure- 45 is provided with a rack 41 'which isengaged by a pinion 4S on a shaft 5). A hand wheel not illustrated inthe drawings, externally of thev casing I0, may be rotated to rotate theshaft 5|] and pinion 49 to raise and lower the gate- 35 in the track 46.The feed of unseparated grain into the casing is regulated by thismeans. A series of inclined brushes 5| arepositioned between .the casingWall IB and. the screen 31. One endof each' of these brushes extendsinto contact with the partition wall or shelf 4|), while the other endof each brush is spaced considerably-above this. shelf. The arrangementof the brushes is best illutrated in Figures 42 and 3 of the drawings.

Each brush 5| comprises bristles-52 set intoa backing of wood or thelike 53. A metal covering plate 54 is positioned on top of each of thebrushes 53 and this plate 54. extends partially over the bristles toassist in supporting. the same. Each brush is supported on an inclinedshelfor bracket 55 which is rigidly secured'to the casing wall. Thebrushes 5| are adjustableY toward and away from the screen 31 by meansof adjusting screws 56 which extend into the backing 53 of the brushesand which extend through thecasing walls I0.

Interposed between the screen 31 and the cone The cone 51 is integra'llysecured to aisleeveaEQ-wh'ich issecured in telescoping relationwith a sleeve 60 extending coaxial with the screen 31. A supportingspider 6| supports the sleeve 53 rotatable upon the shaft 21, the shaft21 rotating within the bearing 62 of the spider 6|. A spider 63 alsoencircles the shaft 21 and connects the sleeve 66 with the shaftproviding support for the shaft as the spider 63 is equipped with a ange64 secured to the top 65- of the separating chamber of the casing Ill.

A series of links 66 are pivotally secured to the top- 65 of the casingIl! and are pivotally secured at their lower end to the cone 51. Thusthe cone 51 is supported for a limited rotation and is also axiallymovable along the shaft 21. When grain flows through the screen 31 andbuilds up between the ring 35 and the cone 51 suicient friction iscreated to cause some rotation of the cone 51, swinging on itssupporting links 66 and thus the opening 61 or space between the lowerextremity of the cone 51 and the ring 35 may be increased whennecessary.

A series of angularly spaced supports 69ex tends upwardly from thecasing lilv to support an aspiratng casing 1U. This aspiratng casing isa hollow cylindrical casing having a cylindrical outer wall 1|, a bottompartition 12, and a top partition 13. An opening is provided in thebottom partition 12 tol coincide with theopening provided by the sleeve56, the sleeve 60 extending through this opening. An aspiratng deflector14 is mounted upon the shaft 21 and is rotatable therewith,this-aspiratng deflector changing the direction or flow of air throughthe chamber. Paddles 15 arerotatable with the deector to guideanymaterial caught in this aspirating chamber toward a suitable outlet notillustrated.

The top 13 ofthe aspiratng chamber is connected by means of the pipeelbow 16 to a blower or fan 11 located in the fan casing 19. The bloweror fan 11 is mounted upon a shaft 801upon which is also mounted a pulley8|. This pulley 6| is in alignment with a pulley 82 on the shaft 24 anda belt connects the pulleys 6| and 82 to drive the fan'11 when themachine is in` opt eration.

In the operation of the separator, the grain is placed in the inlethopper 44 and the flow of grain from this hopper into the separator isregulated by means of the gate 45.' The grain falls into the spacebetween the screen 31 and the wall of-the casing i6. the-cylindricalscreen 31 rotates within the ringshaped baffle 4|).`

During the rotation of the screen 31 theY small seeds and small grainsuch as wheat for example, if this wheat is the grain desired, passesthrough the opening in the screen 31. The larger grains such as oatscannot pass through the screen and are carried aiong by frictiontoward-a suitable outlet. The bristles 52 of the brushes 5|Y contact-theouter surface of the screen and permit longV grain such as oats whichlie-iiat against the screenfin indentations therein to passv thebrushes. Most of the material, however, too largeto'pass through thescreen is urged upl along the inclined brushes and is thus carried awayfrom'the smaller grains and smaller material. The sticks, stones, strawand other material too long or too big to pass through the screenperforations are gradually drawn up each of the inclinedbrushes droppingto a point nearthe baseof the next adjacent brush. The friction of thegrain asr thecylindrical screen rotates,

K causes this movement of the grain and no padelles;` agi-tators; orthe-like are-usually necessary,

As the grain is dropped, y

During this process the larger particles of the impurities, such as thesticks, stones and larger particles of straw, are dropped from one ofthe brushes into a chute or discharge trough 83 which is positionedbelow the end cf one of the brushes 5i. Another chute 84 projects intothe casing Ibeneath the end of the next adjacent brush 5l to catchforeign material which rides up this inclined brush. The material whichis discharged through the discharge chute 84 is ordinarily smaller thanthat passing out through the discharge S3 as only the smaller materialworks through the bristles 52 of the inclined brushes. A dischargepassage 85 is provided for the oat and remaining material which passesby the inclined brushes 5l and which is too large to pass through thescreen 31. A partition wall 86 provided with a sealing gasket 31prevents the flow of any of this material too large to pass through thescreen 31 beyond the chute 85.

The invention has found that with his system of brushes he can separatethe larger and smaller particles of foreign material ordinarily found ingrain. The large impurities are discharged through the chute 83, theslightly smaller impurities are discharged through the chute 84, andonly the material passing through the chute 85 is almost entirelycomposed of oats. With this system large materials are separated fromthe smaller material, thus preventing the bunching of all of theimpurities together. When impurities become bunched together, grain isextremely apt to be intermingled with the impurities as these impuritiesprevent the grain from contacting the separating screen 31. The wirebrushes, however, are inclined longitudinally and also longitudinally ofthe bristles so that the grain passing up the wire brushes rests uponthe bristles of the brushes and has a tendency to contact the screen orto work through the bristles. In this way the grain is more effectivelyand efficiently cleaned and the inventor has found that all of the grainhas an opportunity of contacting the screen for separation.

The manner in which the grain passing through the screen 31 dropsbetween the cone 51 and the link 35 to be spread into a cylindricalsheet for aspirating purposes, and the manner in which the seeds areseparated by the screen 32 from the wheat has been fully described inthe copending application previously referred to. The inventor has foundthat it is usually beneficial to use for the screen 31 a screen having aseries of pockets or indentations therein which indentations areperforated in the manner illustrated in this previous application.

With this construction the oats and smaller impurities are carried bythe pockets past the bristles 52 of the brushes 5i and are virtuallyentirely separated from other impurities. The chute 83 catches all ofthe larger impurities while smaller material such as corn which has atendency to work through the bristles is usually expelled through thechute 84. It will be noted that the brush Si adjacent the chute ,84 isshorter than the remaining brushes and the shortness of this brush doesnot give the material such as corn the same opportunity to work throughthe bristles as the longer brushes 5| in the series.

In accordance With the patent statutes I have described the principlesof construction and operation of this separator and while I haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, I desire to haveit understood that these are only illustrative of a means of carryingout this invention and that obvious changes may be made Within the scopeof the following claims without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. A grain separator including a perforated rotary cylinder having asubstantially vertical axis, a casing surrounding said cylinder, anadjustable hopper for feeding grain between said casing and saidcylinder, a supporting shelf eX- tending between said casing and saidcylinder, brush means yieldingly contacting said cylinder and flexiblycontacting said shelf and being inclined in the direction of rotation ofsaid cylinder, said cylinder perforations permitting smaller grains topass through the cylinder, an outlet chute for the small grains, saidinclined brush means elevating larger impurities through movement ofsaid cylinder and out through a separate outlet chute and said cylinderrotation carrying larger grains incapable of passing through saidcylinder past said inclined means and out through a separate outletchute.

2. A grain separator comprising a perforated rotary vertical cylinder, acasing surrounding said cylinder, means for feeding grain between saidcasing and said cylinder, inclined brush means yieldingly contacting theouter surface of said cylinder and being inclined in the direction ofrotation of said cylinder, said cylinder perforations permitting smallergrains to pass through the cylinder, an outlet chute for the smallgrains, said brush means adapted to guide material incapable of passingthrough said screen upwardly out through an outlet chute upon therotation of said cylinder, and said cylinder rotation carrying largergrains incapable of passing through said cylinder past said inclinedmeans out through a separate outlet chute.

OLGA A. MJ OLSNESS, Administratrz'a: of the Estate of Haakon M iolsness,

Deceased.

